New York Grade 1 English

Characters, Setting & Events

Read an original Grade 1 story about a lost mitten, identify who does what, and retell its events using New York English references and printable practice. Use this focused activity alongside the school’s wider reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language sequence.

Curriculum reference: 2017 New York State Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards, from the New York English Language Arts standards page.

New York Grade 1 references for this activity

New York’s English Language Arts page links the 2017 Next Generation ELA Learning Standards. The state’s implementation timeline places Pre-K–8 instruction under those standards from September 2022, with Grades 3–8 assessment first aligned in Spring 2023. The selected reading references below identify this activity’s focus; use the complete grade requirements and the school’s broader literacy program.

These selected reference labels identify an activity focus, with the correct grade and PDF page linked separately. Read the complete standards selected by the school and its learning sequence, including reading, writing, language, speaking, and listening. This short original example does not fulfill the entire curriculum or establish a student’s grade-level proficiency.

The mitten beside the bench

This original classroom example is separate from official assessment questions.

Lea and Max were in the school yard. Lea looked in her bag. “My mitten is gone,” she said. Max looked under the bench. He saw a red mitten. “Is this yours?” he asked. Lea looked at the blue star on it. “Yes!” she said. She put the mitten in her bag. Then they went inside.

Try the activity

An adult may read aloud. Who loses the mitten? Who finds it, and where? Tell what happens at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. What detail helps Lea know the mitten is hers?

Follow the reasoning

Lea notices that her mitten is missing. Max finds a red mitten under the bench in the school yard. Lea recognizes the blue star and puts the mitten in her bag before both children go inside. A retelling can begin with the missing mitten, continue with Max’s search and question, and end with Lea keeping the mitten and leaving the yard. The star is the detail the story gives for recognizing it. Red describes its color, but the text does not say color alone identifies the owner. Pointing to each character’s words and actions helps keep their roles clear. The bench is a place within the yard, rather than a different setting.

Notice what needs more practice

Do not say Lea searches under the bench: that is Max’s action. The story does not tell us who dropped the mitten or when it was lost. Ask the child to show the sentence supporting an answer before adding a guess. This invented story practices selected comprehension skills; it is not a decoding or complete literacy assessment.

Use the next session to build independence

1. Name the characters and where they are.
2. Match a character with each action.
3. Retell three important events and identify the recognition detail.

Retell a teacher-selected story using a character card and three event pictures. Discuss which picture comes first and which detail belongs to the ending. Let the child explain orally, draw, or dictate before expecting independent writing.

For more general reading and writing resources, visit the Grade 1 English Online Center.

New York Grade 1 English: useful planning questions

Can I add a likely event to a retelling?

Keep a retelling faithful to the story. A likely event can be discussed as a guess, but mark it separately from what the text states.

Which standards does the school use?

New York’s English Language Arts page links the 2017 Next Generation ELA Learning Standards. The state’s implementation timeline places Pre-K–8 instruction under those standards from September 2022, with Grades 3–8 assessment first aligned in Spring 2023. The selected reading references below identify this activity’s focus; use the complete grade requirements and the school’s broader literacy program. The school’s sequence also includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language work beyond this example.